


If You Really Hold Me Tight

by zarabithia



Category: Hawkeye (Comics), Marvel 616, Young Avengers
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Request Meme, You Will Pry the Present Tense From My Cold Dead Hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 04:59:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/606071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarabithia/pseuds/zarabithia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate is supposed to be having a pizza party with the Young Avengers. She gets distracted along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If You Really Hold Me Tight

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Written because treatyoself requested _hawkeye/hawkeye — baby, it’s cold outside_ for the holiday lyrics meme. Also, parts of this were completely inspired by a [tumblr conversation between countlessuntruths and when-it-rains-it-snows.](http://when-it-rains-it-snows.tumblr.com/post/38133149919/617-you-asked-me-to-text-you-at-11-and-remind-you)

"I have a thing tonight, with my boys," Kate announces as she's pulling the string of her bow back and hitting one of a handful of very unlucky creeps with aim that Clint will never complain about. "Actually, I had one about two hours ago. But I'm sure they'll wait." 

"Gonna ditch me for one of your fancy parties, girly?" 

It's cold enough that Kate's fingers are all but numb, and she'd like to ditch this entire scene and go home and stand under a hot shower for hours. Never mind the party. 

But no rest for the wicked, especially this close to Christmas. 

"Fancy? Have you met my guys?" They're facing each other, arrows flying dangerously close to each other's heads on their way to the targets. So Kate can see the way his lips curve into a smile with each release, and he can appreciate seeing her breath in the cold as she huffs out a small laugh. "Their idea of fancy is buying breadsticks to go with the pizza." 

"Hey, that's my idea of fancy, too," Clint tells her. 

_12:01 : From Billy Kaplan: where are you? not sure we can keep tommy's grubby hands off your pizza much longer_

"If you even think about getting in that shower ahead of me, I will shove every one of my arrows into every one of your sensitive parts," Kate warns as they enter Clint's apartment. 

"Katie, my sensitive parts are so frozen they're about to _fall off_ ," Clint whines. Kate would like to be more charitable, and call it something else, but no, it really is whining. "Hot water is a necessity." 

"First of all, thanks for that mental image. Secondly, get a warmer costume. I'm still partial to the ninja costume myself. Maybe add some purple this time, though." She tosses her quiver onto the couch and saunters into the bathroom.

_12:30: From Teddy Altman: hey do you need backup?_

Kate stays in the shower until the feeling has returned to her fingers, and her skin is red enough to do a decent impersonation of a freshly cooked lobster. 

His soap doesn't moisturize and there's not any conditioner to follow his shampoo up with, but she doesn't mind. In fact, if she examines her "not minding" too close, she realizes that she smells like him, and oh, wow, when did enjoying that become a thing? 

Still, it might be a good idea to bring over a stash of shampoo and soap, for occasions like this. 

She's just glad she's already thought ahead enough to have a clean stash of clothes, because going back out into that cold in wet clothes sounds like a terrible idea. 

_1:00: From Tommy Shepherd: doofus did a locater spell. are you really at Barton's place? ew_

"The bathroom is free!" Kate announces as she walks back into the living room. 

Clint is sitting there, purple sweater pulled over a long-sleeved blue shirt. "Too late, I have warm and not wet clothes on because you took _forever_ in the bathroom."

His words would have a lot more heat to them, except that he ruins his "I'm totally pissed at you" stance by handing her a cup of - "Hot cocoa?" 

"Half hot cocoa, half coffee," Clint explains. 

"This is either going to be spectacular or disgusting, which, to be fair, describes most of the situations you get me into." 

_1:06: From Billy Kaplan: sorry about the locater spell. just wanted to make sure you were okay_  
 _1:07: From Teddy Altman: since you were supposed to meet us 4 hours ago_  
 _1:10: From Tommy Shepherd: he's 35! why would you want to date someone that old?_

Kate sits on the arm of the couch, sipping her Clint Barton original drink. "This isn't bad, Hawkeye," she admits. "If this whole archery thing doesn't work out, you could probably open up your own coffee shop." 

"Probably?" Clint scoffs. "You know I could charge at least $10 for this drink, Katie. For a _small_."

"If you're going to charge $10 for a _small_ , you'd better think of something fancier to call it than a small," Kate retorts. 

"Whatever, I just make the drinks in this place. I'll hire you to take care of the business stuff," Clint says with a dismissive hand wave. 

_1:30: From Tommy Shepherd: he probably uses viagra_  
 _1:31: From Tommy Shepherd: that's how old he is_  
 _1:32: From Tommy Shepherd: may actually have been around when the bow was invented_  
 _1:33: From Tommy Shepherd: that's how old he is_

"What are you watching, anyway?" Kate asks. 

"I'm trying to get this to play the Christmas special of Dog Cops." Clint holds up the remote and waves it at her. "One more attempt, then I'm either throwing the remote out the window or calling Tony Stark to come fix it."

"You'll trust me to run your non-existent coffee shop, but not to operate your remote?" Kate turns and wriggles her feet underneath Clint's legs. 

"I thought you hated Dog Cops," Clint points out, which is a perfectly valid point. Not that Kate will admit it. 

"It's a stupid show - "

"I'm not sure you're allowed to be an Avenger and think Dog Cops is a stupid show, Katie-Kate." 

"There have to be some Avengers around who aren't watching the damn show. All anybody has to do now is invade the planet during the season premiere and the world is officially screwed." 

_1:40: From Billy Kaplan: tommy would like to remind you that your sorta kinda boyfriend used to have the hots for our mom_  
 _1:41: From Billy Kaplan: he'd tell you this himself but he is too busy trying to convince eli to move back to ny_  
 _1:42: From Teddy Altman: he thinks he could compete with eli_  
 _1:43: From Billy Kaplan: we are allowing him his delusions_

"So I was gonna order a pizza," Clint says. "If you're staying, I'll spring for breadsticks." 

"Where are you going to order a pizza from at 2 in the morning?" Kate asks doubtfully. 

"Kate, do you think I moved to this neighborhood _just_ because it's relatively private, and few people recognize me?" Clint takes her empty cup and stands up. Kate's feet immediately disapprove of this action. "Max's Pizzeria, two blocks from here. Stays open til 3. Best breadsticks on the east coast."

"Order these breadsticks of yours so I can judge them, Barton." Because she is fair, she pauses the Christmas special so Clint won't miss anything while he orders the pizza. 

_2:00: From Eli Bradley: things i do not miss since i moved to az: cold weather and tommy shepherd.  
2:01: From Eli Bradley: if barton screws up txt me. i'll come back just to break his nose._

Kate is looking through her text messages (somewhat guiltily, it must be said, but in fairness, she _had_ told them that she was working a case with Clint tonight, so they should have expected her to maybe be late) when Clint comes back from the kitchen and his stupid phone with a cord attached with two more cups of his ridiculous coffee/hot cocoa concoction.

"Who's getting an arrow shoved through their left eye?" Clint asks, handing her the mug. 

"My entire team," Kate says solemnly. 

"Don't be too harsh on them, Katie. You did ditch them," Clint points out. 

"And if I hadn't, that battle would have gone really badly for you," Kate argues back. 

"That's true, but I'm not sure they care too much about that."

"No, they only care about whether or not you need Viagra."

_2:10: From Tommy Shepherd: man eli still isn't any fun_  
 _2:11: From Tommy Shepherd: also i'm pretty sure barton used to fuck uncle pete_  
 _2:12: From Tommy Shepherd: think what that means kate_  
 _2:13: From Tommy Shepherd: it means each time you play tonsil hockey with barton_  
 _2:14: From Tommy Shepherd: you're actually playing tonsil hockey with uncle pete_  
 _2:15: From Tommy Shepherd: not that i blame you_  
 _2:16: From Tommy Shepherd: sexy does run in the family_

"I'm sure it's great for some people. I just don't _need_ it," Clint is still grumbling when the pizza arrives. 

Kate actually finds it hilarious.

This is a fact she hasn't hidden at all. 

Which may be why Clint is scowling so severely in her direction. 

"To be perfectly clear, I don't care if you need Viagra or not," Kate says between helpless giggles. "I only care that you're so offended that Tommy thinks you do." 

"Tommy is as bad as his uncle. And I'm not sure I should let you have any breadsticks, Katie." 

"Wow, there was nothing Freudian about that statement, huh?" 

_2:35: From Billy Kaplan: you should know that i teleported tommy's phone into the middle of the atlantic_  
 _2:36: From Billy Kaplan: i can do the same to your new bf if you need me to_  
 _2:37: From Teddy Altman: he means that he hopes you enjoy your date. so do i_

They aren't dating. (Unless missions count.) 

They aren't sleeping together. (She always takes the couch, and he has a bed of his own.) 

Clint isn't sharing his breadsticks, metaphorical or literal, with her. (She has ran across the condom and lube stash when she was moving an extra set of clothes in.) 

But Clint does have one arm slung across the couch, and Kate does take advantage of that to lean into the fuzzy warmth of that terrible purple sweater. 

It's _cold_ outside, Kate reasons. Body heat with a complete not-boyfriend is perfectly reasonable, even if it means that she's suffering through a marathon of non-Christmas episodes of Dog Cops. 

"Merry Christmas, Hawkeye," Clint murmurs, and Kate's not sure if she's imagining the feathery touch of his fingers in her hair. 

"Merry Christmas, Hawkeye," Kate answers back. "Glad you didn't run away last year." 

His chest rumbles with startled laughter, and Kate doesn't want to move, because that feels nice. 

"Me too. Would have missed a lot." 

"Yeah, you would have." Kate does move, then, to tilt her head up to look up at him. "I would have, too." 

Generally, Kate thinks if you're going to go in for a first kiss during the Christmas season, you should at least have some mistletoe around to use as an excuse.

But it's more of a guideline and less of a rule, so Kate ignores it. 

Fortunately, Clint doesn't seem to mind.

-


End file.
